Photo By Thomas Cieslak | The Patient Centered Medical Home at Navy Medicine Readiness Training Command Cherry...... read more read more
A Sailor or Marine serving aboard Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point can only be as ready for deployment as their family. One medical team aboard the installation ensures the family is as ready for the fight as their warfighter is.
The Patient Centered Medical Home aboard Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command has that mission; provide patient care for family members while their service member trains for and deploys in support of operations far away from the installation.
“Ensuring the health and wellbeing of our service members' families is a mission-critical priority,” said Navy Lt. Jessica Maneja, PCMH’s Department Head and a native of Portland, Texas. “When a Marine or Sailor has the reassurance that their loved ones' healthcare is in capable hands, they can maintain undivided focus on their mission.”
“It’s important because when families are doing well, service members can focus more on their mission”
A family’s wellbeing directly impacts their service member’s morale and ability to be successful at their training and operations. Knowing their spouses and children have access to patient care through PCMH means Sailors and Marines’ minds stay focused on the task at hand while deployed.
We can’t fully focus on our mission if we’re worried about our spouse and children’s health, said Hospital Corpsman Third Class David South, PCMH’s Assistant Lead Petty Officer and a native of Irvine, California. Being separated is hard enough and our family’s medical care should be a top priority, he continued.
Mrs. Solivan Sukura is often the first staff member families meet when checking in to receive or schedule care from PCMH. Sukura and her team play an integral role in greeting patients, checking them in, scheduling their future care and acting as liaisons to medical providers within the clinic.
“It’s important because when families are doing well, service members can focus more on their mission,” said Sukura, a Medical Admin Assist Clerk. “If there’s stress at home or health concerns with family member, it has an effect on their performance. Taking care of families supports the whole military community.”
NMRTC Cherry Point’s PCMH serves as the anchor to a family’s medical readiness prior to, during and after a training rotation and operational deployment. The department delivers care for approximately 13,000 beneficiaries, including active-duty, retirees and military families.
Patient care available to family members includes pediatrics, family medicine and women’s health. The team also includes a mental health consultant and fully integrated clinical pharmacist to further assist patients in specialty care. The department is the largest at NMRTC Cherry Point and includes a mixture of Sailors and civilians, many with specialized training and experience.
“Within the clinic, PCMH is the “shot-caller”. We determine which services a patient may benefit from based on their history, labs, examination, or even from a small comment made during casual conversation,” said South. “Our Providers take all of that into account to design a plan of care that’s best for the patient, directing them to follow-on services within the clinic including imaging in radiology, additional blood/urine testing at lab, or vaccines at immunizations. If a condition requires specialty attention, we order referrals to get patients seen off base.”
Though calling MCAS Cherry Point home for only the duration of their service member’s assignment, family members quickly become known to PCMH staff providing their care, reducing the potential for stress during a difficult time. Many of the staff, both active-duty Sailors and their civilian counterparts, have first-hand knowledge of the challenges military separation places upon a family and are specially prepared to assist. In addition to caring for family members, PCMH also has medical oversight of six tenant commands aboard MCAS Cherry Point.
“The team’s core mission is to meticulously monitor and screen the medical readiness of each individual [assigned to the units],” said Maneja. “This proactive stance is crucial to our primary objective; keeping our warfighters deployable.”
| Date Taken: | 04.09.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 04.09.2026 10:09 |
| Story ID: | 562327 |
| Location: | CHERRY POINT, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 22 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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